Governor-controlled auxiliary air device for internal-combustion engines



E. G. HODGES.

GOVERNOR CONTROLLED AUXILIARY AIR DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 11, 1918.

1 33,847 Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

fl Inventor wifaess M \wgavu utfs EDWARD G. HODGES, 0F MARSHALLTOWN, IOWA,

GOVERNOR-CONTROLLED AUXILIARY AIR nnvrcn non INTERNALCOMBUSTION ENGINES. Y

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 11, 1918.- Serial No. 211,463.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD G. HoDGEs, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Marshalltown, in the county of Marshall and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Governor-Controlled Anxiliary Air Device for' Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide with a stationary internal combustion engine an auxiliary air device for supplying air to the fuel passage between the throttle valve and the cylinder, which auxiliary air device includes a pipe and abutterfiy valve therein, and includes a governor operatively connected with the engine and with the throttle valve and said butterfly valve.

An additional object of my invention is to provide such a device in which the parts are so arranged that when the throttle valve is in substantially wide open position the butterfly valve in the air supply pipe is closed, whereas as the throttle valve approaches closed position said butterfly valve approaches open position.

A further object is to provide the combination of an engine having an automatic governor for regulating the position of the throttle valve with relation to the speed of the engine, with an air supply device operatively connected with such an automatic governor in such a. way that when the throttle is near its closed position an additional air supply is furnished to the mixture passing into the cylinders for affording a sufficient volume of mixture and reducing the richness thereof, whereas when the throttle is moved toward open position which ordinarily occurs when the load on the engine increases with the result of slightly decreasing the speed of the engine, then the auxiliary air supply is reduced for permitting the carbureter to supply the usual mixture.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a sta-.

. dinary Way. The engine is provided with a carbureter 12 and with a-fuel mixture passage 13 leading from the carbureter to the en ne.

n the passage 13 is an ordinary throttle valve 14 having a stem 15- on which is an arm 16.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

Mounted on the engine frame is a bracket 17 having a bearing 18 in which is mounteda hollow shaft 19. On the shaft 19 is a gear 20'operatively connected by gears 21and 22 with a crank shaft 23 on the engine.

Any form of governor suitable for the purpose could be employed, but in my drawings I have shown a shaft 24 mounted in the hollow shaft 19. On one end of the shaft 24 is a nut 25. On the other end of the shaft 24 is a collar 26. The shaft 19 is provided with a recess 27 in which is mounted a coil spring 28 which abuts at one end against the collar 26 and at the other end against the solid portion of the shaft 19. Pivoted on the shaft 19 are the ball governor members 29 having ends 30 which abut against the shaft 24.

Itwill be understood that the tension on the spring 28 may be regulated by means of The member-32 has a projectingnrm 35 to which is pivoted a link 36. On the link 36 is an extension 37 which is also pivoted to the arm 16 on the stem of the throttle valveJ Communicating with, the passage 13 between the throttle valve- 14 and the engine cylinder is an air supply pipe 38 in which is suitably mounted a butterfly valve 39 having a projecting stem- 40' on which is fixed a laterally extending arm 41. A link 42 is pivoted to the arm 41 and to the link 36, as shown in Fig. 2.

In the practical installation and operation of my governor controlled auxiliary air supply device, the parts are installed in the positions hereinbefore described, with the parts so arranged that when the throttle valve is in substantially wide open position the butterfly valve 39 in the air supply pipe 38 is in closed position.

It will, of course, be understood that the movement of the throttle valve toward closed position is determined and controlled by the governor device.

The parts are so arranged that as the throttle valve approaches closed position the butterfly valve 39 moves toward its open position, whereby when the load increases and the speed of the engine is thereby slightly slowed down beyond what is desired, then the throttle valve is opened and the butterfly valve is closed in the air supply pipe for causing a richer mixture to be supplied to the engine cylinder, whereupon the speed of the engine will be increased to that desired.

On the other hand if the speed of the engine increases on account of the decrease in the load or for any other reason, the throttle valve is moved toward closed position and the butterfly valve is moved toward open position for supplying more air to the 'mixture passing to the engine, so that the proper speed may be maintained with a mixture of minimum richness.

It will thus be seen that my device, by the manner in which it controls the auxiliary air supply, tends to maintain the engine at the desired predetermined speed, and also to cause the engine to be run on as thin a mixture as may properly be used.

This latter result is accomplished by the supplying of air to the mixture passing to the cylinder when the throttle is near closed position, whereby a proper volume of mixture for securing compression is supplied with a minimum use of fuel.

I thereby effect a substantial saving of fuel where my device is used instead of the ordinary controlling means.

I am also enabled with my device to run the engine at a more even and uniform speed than would otherwise be the case.

It will be understood the governor device shown herein in itself forms no part of my present invention and that the various parts of my device may be modified in their construction and arrangement without departing from the essential spirit of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure which may be reasonably included within. their scope.

While I have shown and described a but-v terfly valve for controlling the passage of air through the auxiliary supply device, it is my intention to cover any form of valve which would be adapted for accomplishing the purpose.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of an engine of the internal combustion type having a shaft, a carbureter, a fuel mixture passage leading fromthe carbureter to the engine cylinders, a throttle valve in said passage, with an auxiliary air supply pipe arranged in communication with said fuel mixture passage be tween the throttle valve and the engine cylinders, a secondv valve in said air supply 'pipe, a governor device operatively connected with said shaft, lever devices for operatively connecting said governor device with both of said valves, whereby said valves are simultaneously operated for holdin the second valve in substantially open posltion when the throttle valve is in closed or nearly closed position, and for moving the second valve toward closed position as the throttle valve is moved toward open position, whereby every movement of the throttle valve effects an opposite movement of the auxiliary air supply valve for permitting increasing passage of air through the supply pipe as the speed increases and the throttle valve is moved toward closed position, and decreasing the passage of air through the air -'supply pipe as, the speed decreases and the throttle valve is moved toward open position.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of an internal combustion engine having a fuel mixture passage, and a throttle valve therein, with an air supply pipe arranged in communication with said passage between the throttle vahe and the engine cylinders,a, valve in the air supply pipe, and mechanism designed to be operated according to the speed of the engine for simultaneously oppositely moving said valves, whereby when one valve is open the other is closedand vice versa for thereby maintaining a. substantially constant volume ,of fuel mixture for the engine in all positions of the throttle valve and under all working conditions of the engine.

3. In a device of the'class described, the combination of an internal combustion engine having a fuel mixture passage, a throttle valve therein, an air supply pipe arranged in communication with said passage between the throttle valve and the engine vice versa, for thereby varying the auxiliary air supply according to every variation in the position of the throttle valve.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of an internal combustion enginehaving a fuel mixture passage, a throttle valve therein, an auxiliary air supply passage communicating with said first passage between said throttle valve and the engine cylinders, a valve in said auxiliary air passage, and means operatively connected With the moving parts of the engine Whereby said air supply valve and said throttle valve are simultaneously operated in opposite directions for thereby regularly varying the proportion of air and fuel according to the load on the engine.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination ofan internal combustion engine having a fuel mixture passage, a throttle valve therein, an auxiliary air supply passage communicating Withsaid first passage between said throttle valve and the engine cylinders, a valve in said air supply passages, and means operatively connected with the moving parts of the engine Whereby said air srpply valves are simultaneously operated in opposite directions for thereby regularly varying the proportion of air and fuel accordin to the load on the engine, for thereby supplying to the engine a richer mixture when the load is heavy and a leaner mixture when the load is light.

Des Moines, Iowa, December 28, 1917.

EDWARD G. HODGES. 

